Lam Sai Yong Model: Water Management Project “Sustainable Drought Solving”
IRPC Public Company Limited
Since 2014, IRPC has brought water management know-how to reduce the problem of water shortage during the dry season in the Nong Yang Village, Lam Sai Yong Sub-district, Nang Rong District, Buriram Province which is located in the northeastern region of Thailand.
INTRODUCTION
Drought is a natural disaster that causes economic and social problems like lack of water for consumption and agriculture. As Thailand is a country exporting agricultural products and most of the people work on farms, drought will have a direct impact on the country’s agricultural crops and also an indirect impact such as people leaving the farms to work in the cities which will eventually cause economic, social and cultural problems. Therefore, drought can be considered a critical problem of the country.For Thailand, drought is caused by a deficiency in rainfall (when there is little or no rain over a period of time) between the months of February and April and precipitation deficit (a period when rainfall is less than 1 millilitre within 15 consecutive days) which usually occurs during June and July every year. The most drought-stricken area is the northeastern region which is not affected by the southeast monsoon.
FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY
IRPC is committed to contribute to the community and society by raising the quality of life of the people. Water management is one of IRPC’s expertise which has been implemented to ensure there is sufficient water in its production process. In addition, this can also relieve the problem of water shortage for consumption during the dry season for the communities in 4 sub-districts surrounding IRPC Industrial Zones. We have dredged 5 reservoirs with storage capacities of 5.2 million cubic meters. In addition, our experts have been involved in solving the problems and improving tap water system for communities around IRPC Industrial Zones.Since 2014, IRPC has brought water management know-how to reduce the problem of water shortage during the dry season in the Nong Yang Village, Lam Sai Yong Sub-district, Nang Rong District, Buriram Province which is located in the northeastern region of Thailand. IRPC dredged 5 reservoirs at Nong Yang Village to deepen it by 4 meters to double its storage capacity up to 100,000 cubic meters. In 2015, experts in water management and quality development from IRPC took part in a CSR project to improve the quality of tap water supply system of Nong Yang Village.
ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPACT
Nong Yang Village is now enjoying quality tap water. Formerly the tap water in the village was polluted with sediments, rendering it unsuitable for consumption. Upon such an improvement in tap water supply, almost 440 households have made use of water reserves and earned more income from growing and selling their vegetables. Each household now earns an average income of 30,000 baht/year, thus enjoying a better quality of life.FUTURE DIRECTION
IRPC will continue to contribute to the community and society as a whole in a sustainable manner. The Company uses knowledge and personnel to solve the water shortage problem during the dry season which is becoming more serious every year. Therefore, water management must be implemented so that people in the drought stricken areas will be able to store water during the rainy season and reserve it for the dry season. In addition, additional water sources will be provided and training on tap water system management will be conducted to teach the people how to manage the system in the village themselves. IRPC’s systematic implementation can serve as a prototype to help people from other communities in the country solve and manage water resources as well as improve and manage tap water system in their communities.
IRPC Public Company Limited is the first integrated petrochemical complex operating in South East Asia and is the third largest refinery complex in Thailand. Currently, IRPC operates 4 core businesses petroleum, petrochemical, port and tank, and asset management. IRPC is selected as the member of DJSI’s Emerging Markets in Oil & Gas industry in 2014 & 2015.
